Article encasement devices



Nov. 14, 1961 w. A. VILLWOCK 3,008,617

ARTICLE ENCASEMENT DEVICES Filed Oct. 17, 1958 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM A- V/LLWOCK 4 T TOP/V6 vs United States Patent 3,008,617 ARTICLE ENCASEMENT DEVICES William A. Villwock, Lakewood, Ohio (2004 NW. 16th St., Oklahoma City, Okla.) Filed Oct. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 767,958 3 Claims. (Cl. 224-2) This invention relates to side-arm carrying devices, and more specifically, the instant invention pertains to belt-supported holsters, sheaths, scabbards, and other similar casings for normally receiving revolvers, automatics, knives, axes, and other weapons, tools, or other articles while the same are not being manually operated.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a carrying device for weapons, tools, and other implernents, with quickly releasable means to provide ready access to the article disposed Within the above referred to carrying device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holster, sheath, or other article enclosing device with automatically operable means for encasing the article and to retain the same therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide a casing, sheath, housing or a similar device for weapons, toools and other belt-supported articles with magnetic means for releasably securing the articles within the device.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an encasement for a device or article formed of magnetizable material, the encasement including magnetic elements adapted to cooperate directly with the device or with similar elements to retain the device or article within the encasement.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a belt-supported encasement for an article formed of magnetizable material, the encasement including a pair of flexible or pivotal members, one or both of which carry magnets engageable with the article or with each other to retain the article within the encasement.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a belt-supported encasement for a Weapon, tool, or other belt-supported articles, wherein the encasement is formed of a flexible material.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a beltsupported article enclosing device which includes two confronting side 'walls movable relative to each other, the side walls having secured thereon magnets cooperating with each other to maintain the side wallsin their confronting relationship, or to coact with the article to maintain the enclosure thereof.

This invention contemplates, as a still further object thereof, the provision of a device of the type generally I illustrated in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2 showing the carry-' ing device or holster in its open position;

FIGURE 3 is a detail cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 1, loo-king in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a detail cross sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the encasing device in its open position;

FIGURE 5 is a detail cross sectional view, similar to "ice FIGURE 3, but illustrating a second embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of this invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the device of FIG- URE 6, FIGURE 7 illustrating the device in its open position.

Referring now more specifically to FIGURES 1 to 4, inclusive, reference numeral 10 designates a revolver holster constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention. As illustrated therein, the holster 10 is seen to include a pair of convoluted oppositely disposed and confronting substantially rectangular front and back members 12, 14 which taper from their respective upper ends to their lower ends. Each of the side walls 12, 14 is outwardly arcuately expressed at 16, 18 to releasably receive therein the cylinder 20 of a revolver 22, and a pair of adjacent longitudinally extending confronting marginal edges of the holster 10 are secured together as by stitching 24 or through the utilization of other conventional securing means. a

In the embodiment of this invention as shownin FIG- URES 1 to 4, inclusive, the holster 10 may be formed of any desirable material, such a leather, plastics, or metal, for example, so long as the selected material possesses, the characteristics of being either flexible and/or resilient.

Each of the expressed portions 16, 18 is provided with an arcuate pocket 26, 28, respectively, to receive therein concave-convex elongated substantially rectangular bar magnets 30, 32 having adjacent concave sides adapted to releasably engage both sides of the cylinder 20.

The oppositely disposed longitudinally extending and confronting marginal edges of the side walls 12, 14 are free and have a plurality of longitudinally spaced pockets 34, 36 formed therein to receive bar magnets 38, 40 which have their respective poles inverted with respect to each other. The magnets 38, 40 are so located as to be juxtaposed when the side walls 12, 14 are moved to their respective closed positions.

As is clearly seen in the above referred to figures, the free marginal edge of the side wall 12 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced snap fastener sockets 42 which alternate with the magnets 38, and from the free marginal edge of the side wall 14 extend a plurality of tongues 44, the outer ends of which carry the male elements 46 of the snap fastener complementing the sockets 42. The tongues 44 are disposed in alternating arrangement with respect to the magnets 40 and are adapted to overlap the outer marginal edge of the side wall 12 upon engagement of the elements 46 with the sockets 42. The elements 46 and sockets 42 serve as auxiliary locking means supplementing the magnetic closure devices 38, 40. The upper end of the side wall 14 carries an extension 48 which is reverted at 50 to form a beltreceiving loop 52, the reverted portion 50 being secured to the extension by a line of stitches 54.

As is seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the upper edge of the side wall 12 is formed with an inwardly extending arcuate recess 56 to permit the user of the holster to readily insert his finger through the trigger guide 58 of the revolver 22.

To utilize the holster described above, let it be assumed that the holster is supported from the belt of the user, and let it further be assumed that the revolver 22 is in the full line position illustrated in FIGURE 1, and that the snap fastener elements are in their coacting positions.

Under these assumed conditions, the revolver 22 may be withdrawn vfrom the holster 10 in the conventional manner. That is, the user substantially simultaneously grasps the butt 60 and inserts his finger within the trigget guide 58 for encasement against the trigger 62 and, in a substantially continuous movement, pulls the revolver 22 upwardly and outwardly from the holster 10.

The holster illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4, inclusive, has been specially designed to permit the wearer to make an extremely rapid draw. In such circumstances as the wearer may foresee wherein the revolver 22 must be brought into play with the minimum of time and effort, the fastening elements 42, 46 are disengaged from one another, thereby leaving the side walls 12, 14 close against one another under the influence of the magnetic field of the juxtaposed magnets 38, 40. Now, and assuming that it is necessary for the revolver to be drawn very quickly, the user will grasp the butt 60 of the revolver 22, insert his trigger finger within the trigger guide 58 and push forwardly to move the revolver 22 toward the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 1. This has the effect of forcing the side walls 12, 1'4 and their associated expressed portions 16, 18 to move outwardly away from each other, whereby the holster assumes the position illustrated in FIGURE 4. Assuming that the side walls 12, 14 are formed of a resilient material, the same will move toward each other after the revolver has been removed from the holster, so that the holster assumes its normally closed position.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a second embodiment of this invention, similar in all respects, but one, to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4, inclusive. Consequently, common reference numerals have been applied to elements finding their counterparts in the two inventions.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in FIGURE 5, the side walls 12, 14 are formed of a relatively rigid material, such as, for example, a metal, and the one longitudinally extending side thereof 64 is hinged instead of being sewed, as at 24.

In this embodiment of the invention, movement of the revolver 22 toward the magnets 38, 40 forces the side walls 12, 14 to pivot away from each other about the hinge 64 to permit the revolver 22 to be quickly and rapidly withdrawn from the holster 10.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate a third embodiment of this invention showing another article encasement. As illustrated in these two figures, reference numeral 70 comprises a sheath for a conventional hunting knife 72 having a haft 74 and a metallic blade 76. As in the previous embodiments, the holster or casement 70 includes an elongated substantially rectangular front wall 72 which is juxtaposed against an elongated substantially rectangular rear Wall 75 and the front and rear walls are secured together along a pair of confronting marginal edges by a line of stitching 78, the stitches providing means whereby the front wall 72 may be pivoted relative to the rear wall 75.

The rear Wall 75 includes an extension 80 at the upper end thereof, the extension having formed therein a pair of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced and substantially parallel slits 82 to threadedly receive a belt therethrough.

The front and rear walls 72, is each formed with at least one outwardly expressed portion 84, and preferably a plurality thereof, to receive and to retain therein permanent magnets 86 of the bar or other desired types.

As is clearly seen in FIGURE 7, the magnets 86 are vertically staggered relative to each other to effect the magnetic field over substantially the entire length of the blade 76 when the knife 72 is bolstered. To unsheath the knife 72, it is only necessary that the user grasp the haft 74 and move the same toward the open side of the walls 72, 75 to remove the blade 76 from the magnetic field created by the permanent magnets. Optionally, the knife blade 76 could be pushed against the front wall 72 causing it to swing to its posit-ion shown in FIGURE 7, after which it is released from the magnet 86 carried thereby.

Having described and illustrated several embodiments of this invention, it will be understood that the same are offered merely by way of example, and that the instant inventions are to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A holster for an article formed of magnetizable material, said holster comprising a pair of elongated substantially rectangular front and rear walls having configurations complementing the article to be holstered, said front and rear walls having laterally spaced confronting outwardly expressed portions adjacent one of their respective ends, a permanent magnet fixedly secured to each of said expressed portions adapted for engagement against the bolstered article, said walls being disposed in confronting relation, means permanently and pivotally connecting a pair of longitudinally extending adjacent marginal edges of said walls, and permanent magnets disposed in longitudinally spaced relation along the opposed longitudinally extending sides adjacent the marginal edges thereof, said magnets cooperating to hold together said last named marginal edges.

2. A holster for an article as defined in claim 1, wherein said side walls are formed of a rigid and resilient material.

3. A holster for an article formed of magnetizable material as defined in claim 1, wherein said permanent connecting means comprises hinge means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,295,831 Alderson Mar. 12, 1919 1,876,613 Clark Sept. 13, 1932 1,930,203 Iewett Oct. 10, 1933 2,001,321 Berns May 14, 1935 2,347,006 Tibbetts Apr. 18, 1944 2,784,757 Bosca et a1 Mar. 12, 1957 2,793,434 Wigington May 28, 1957 2,910,804 White Nov. 3, 1959 

